Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Shellfish warning for Bay of Plenty and Coromandel due to presence of paralytic shellfish toxins

Bay of Plenty Times
18 Nov, 2024 08:31 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Up to 30,000 people expected to join the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti as thousands descend on Wellington in historic day of mass protest.

People are being warned not to collect or consume shellfish gathered from an area of the Bay of Plenty due to the presence of paralytic shellfish toxins.

New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said routine tests on tuatua from Waihī Beach showed levels of paralytic shellfish toxins more than double the safe limit.

The warning extends from the southern end of Pauanui Beach down to the entrance of Tauranga Harbour, by Mount Maunganui.

The warning also includes Tauranga Harbour.

“Please do not gather and eat shellfish from this area because anyone doing so could get sick,” Arbuckle said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Affected area from the southern end of Pauanui Beach down to the entrance of Tauranga Harbour, by Mount Maunganui.
Affected area from the southern end of Pauanui Beach down to the entrance of Tauranga Harbour, by Mount Maunganui.

“Affected shellfish include bivalve shellfish such as mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles and scallops, as well as pūpū (cat’s eyes) and Cook’s turban. Kina are still safe to eat.

“It’s also important to know that cooking the shellfish does not remove the toxin.”

Symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning usually appear within 10 minutes to three hours of eating and may include:

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, hands, and feet
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness and headache
  • nausea and vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure and, in severe cases, death.

Pāua, crab and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut.

If the gut is not removed, its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process. Finfish are not affected by this public health warning, but gutting the fish and discarding the liver before cooking is advised.

New Zealand Food Safety has had no notifications of associated illness.

If anyone becomes ill after eating shellfish from an area where a public health warning has been issued, phone Healthline for advice on 0800 61 11 16, or seek medical attention immediately. You are also advised to contact your nearest public health unit and keep any leftover shellfish in case it can be tested.

“NZFS is monitoring shellfish in the region and will notify the public of any changes to the situation.”

Commercially harvested shellfish – sold in shops and supermarkets or exported – is subject to strict water and flesh monitoring programmes by New Zealand Food Safety to ensure they are safe to eat.

Find out more:

  • Shellfish biotoxin alert webpage
  • Subscribe to shellfish biotoxins to receive email alerts
  • See signage in the affected area
  • Podcast about shellfish contamination
  • Collecting Shellfish and Keeping Them Safe
  • Causes and symptoms of toxic shellfish poisoning
  • About toxic algal blooms
  • Food Safety for Seafood Gatherers booklet
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

Drones could be coming to farm sheds and beaches near you

Waikato Herald

'Life-changing': International flights return to Hamilton Airport

18 Jun 05:23 AM
Waikato Herald

Father, daughter steal $190k in ATM heist, $159k still missing

18 Jun 04:09 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

Drones could be coming to farm sheds and beaches near you
Waikato Herald

Drones could be coming to farm sheds and beaches near you

At Fieldays’ first Drone Zone, manufacturers and businesses had the chance to showcase how drones are revolutionising farming and fishing. Video / Maryana Garcia

'Life-changing': International flights return to Hamilton Airport
Waikato Herald

'Life-changing': International flights return to Hamilton Airport

18 Jun 05:23 AM
Father, daughter steal $190k in ATM heist, $159k still missing
Waikato Herald

Father, daughter steal $190k in ATM heist, $159k still missing

18 Jun 04:09 AM
Super Rugby teams: The squads tasked with clinching the title

Super Rugby teams: The squads tasked with clinching the title

18 Jun 04:01 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP